Tube anemone

On Exhibit

Natural History

To shield itself from grit, this delicate creature makes a tough leathery tube, sinking it two feet (.6 m) into the sand. When a predator like the barber slug comes by to clip off its tentacles, the anemone retreats quickly down the tube—sometimes pulling the slug in with it! Luckily, an anemone's tentacles grow back after an attack.

Conservation

Used motor oil poured down the drain or on the ground winds up in rivers, lakes and the ocean. No matter what the source, oil harms ocean animals. Each year, Americans illegally dispose of 220 million gallons of oil—twenty times the Exxon Valdez spill. The solution? Recycle the oil—it can be re-refined and reused.

Cool Facts

Many of the seven species of burrowing anemone have tentacles that fluoresce, absorbing ultraviolet light and shining it back as visible light.